A Southern Belle in King Arthur's Court
by Princess Rahnee Honey Lizard
Summary: The story I wrote for American Lit. II based on Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in KIng Arthur's Court. In the not too distant future, two siblings find a box of papers in their uncle's attic.
1. Bored

"Bored!"

He drew out the word.

"Buh-ored!

He repeated, his voice cracking on the first syllable.

"Find something to do then. I'm trying to finish my homework."

She waved him off and slid her fingers across the touch screen of her laptop.

"Bu-ut, Sta-ace…there's nuh-uhthing to do!"

"Go up to the attic then."

The boy was silent for a moment.

"There's nothing interesting up there."

"How do you know? Have you been up there?

"Have you?"

"Touché, Henry."

Stacey put her laptop on standby and stood up.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to the attic. Coming with?"

Henry thought for a moment before joining his sister.

"I will, but it's just to protect you, all right?"

Stacey wrapped her arm around his neck and gave him a noogie.

"C'mon, Squirt."

The two walked up the stairs, and Stacey pulled on the string hanging from the ceiling to pull down the staircase. Stacey started up the steps, and Henry stayed close behind. While Stacey groped around for a light switch, Henry noticed a figure sitting in a chair by one of the windows.

"St-stace…Stace…Stace!"

Stacey found the light switch and flipped on the light.

"Clown!"

Stacey glanced at the figure in the chair and then looked down at her brother. He had his arms wrapped around her, and his head was under her arm.

"Do you know where your head is?"

Henry was silent for a moment, and then he pulled away, disgusted, wiping at his hair. Stacey smiled at him and looked back at the figure.

"Hey, I know who this is."

She knocked on the figure's sculpted, painted hair.

"Who?

"Ronald McDonald. He's like McDonald's mascot. Don't you recognize him?

"I think I would remember McDonald's having a _clown._"

"Well, they did when Mom and Dad were kids."

Stacey turned away from the statue to look around the attic.

"And you said the wasn't anything interesting up here."

"Fine. Whatever. Can we go now? That clown is looking at me."

"Wait a minute, Squirt. I wanna keep--woop!"

"Stace!"

Stacey pulled herself up so she could see what tripped her. A Jansport backpack. It had once been green, and the zipper pulls showed signs of rust. Henry started toward her, but he noticed a cardboard box beside her. He opened it, and Stacey stood beside him.

"What is this?"

The box was filled with papers. Old writing papers. Old newspapers. Old books.

_A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court._

_Chemistry 101._

_Biology._

"A Real Life Sleeping Beauty".

"The Tale of Ranger Sissy".

The "Tale" was the title of several sheaves of paper, neatly sewn together in little books. Stacey looked into the box and stood up.

"And I think we just found the most interesting thing of all."

She picked up the box and headed for the stairs.

"What?"

Henry stayed rooted to the spot, confused.

"Will you get the backpack, please? It says here it's part of the mystery, too."

Henry grabbed the backpack. He glanced back at the clown statue, shivered, and ran after his sister. In the living room, Stacey had arranged the books of the "Tale" on the coffee table. Henry grabbed up one and looked at it carefully.

"Sissy? Wasn't that Mom's old nickname?"

"Why do you think I'm so interested?"

She took the first book and sat on the couch.

"Want to read it with me?"

"Sure."

Henry plopped down beside her as she turned to the first page.

"Okay, 'the Tale of Ranger Sissy', Book 1..."


	2. Book 1, Part 1

Okay, whoa. Just…whoa. I…I need to write everything down. I'll write in third person, so I can space myself from these events to better understand them. There's a theory that you cannot travel back in time before the first time machine was made, but I (or my time I suppose) have yet to see one built. And yet, here I am, fourteen hundred and fifty-eight years before I born, sitting in a suite in King Arthur's castle.

Yes, _that_ King Arthur. The one who pulled that magical sword from a stone when no one else could. The one who married fair Guinevere. The one who lived in Camelot and Avalon. The one Monty Python, Mark Twain, and even Disney and DreamWorks have their own unique takes on. But that is beside the point. Let me start at the beginning.

My name is Cecelia Allison Pennybaker. My brother called me Sissy when he was little. We don't know if he was trying to say "sister" or "Cecelia", but the name stuck anyways. We live in a manor house that's been around since before the Civil War. It's always been the Pennybaker Manor. I'm rather proud of that.

We have cows, horses, pigs, various dogs and cats. We pay workers to tend the fields. I often go hunting with my dad, and I've caught, dressed, and cooked several kills myself. I prefer a bow to guns because bullets are hard to find sometimes.

But I digress. That day…that fateful day that everything changed…was the day of Junior Prom. Or night if you want to be technical. I'm happiest in blue jeans and a t-shirt, but that day I was wearing a light purple dress, with a flouncy skirt, a bodice designed to look like a corset, and little poofy sleeves that covered a little length just above my elbows. I wore a shimmery purple shawl over my shoulders with matching tights. I had my hair tied up with a shimmery purple ribbon, and I wore white shoes with low heels…

…which she promptly kicked off as she ran to subdue the mare. Starla, or Star, as Sissy had affectionately called her, had always been sweet and quiet, but now she was rearing and whinnying in fright for some unknown reason. Sissy pushed Scot, her boyfriend, out of the way. Since she had raised the chestnut mare from a foal, the horse would respond to her better.

The plan had been to ride to the prom in a carriage drawn by two of her family's horses. Star would need to calm down for that to happen now. Sissy reached for the bridle, but her fingers groped empty air as Star reared again. Sissy lunged again with a growl, and one of the mare's fore hooves clipped the girl's head.

Sissy had been kicked before, but it hadn't felt quite like this. The very bones of her skull seemed to dance like tectonic plates, and she blacked out. As she came to, she smelled crisp, clean air that had centuries before it had to learn of pollution. She looked around, trying to get her bearings, and noticed a knight upon a horse, both bedecked in armor. The horse looked like he might actually be a unicorn, if the iron spike protruding from his forehead was anything more than a modification of the armor.

Sissy's first thought as she studied his green and red silk trappings was that the man was role playing. Although the armor looked really realistic, so perhaps someone was shooting a movie.

"What is a fair a maiden such as this doing all alone?"

So he was definitely role playing, Sissy decided, and he did seem genuinely concerned. "I do not know, kind sir knight, but I wish to return to my family, though I am not certain where to start," she said, trying to play along. The knight seemed surprised at her accent for a moment.

"From whence you hail?"

"From the southern part of the county of Fulton."

"Fulton? I have heard of no such place."

"Georgia?"

"I have never heard of such a country. Is it far?"

Sissy looked up at the knight, wondering. "Okay, you're creepin' me out, dude. You can drop the act.," she said. "Act? You spout nonsense and then accuse me of tomfoolery? You are nothing but a gypsy who has stolen the garb of a noblewoman!" the knight cried.

"Call me a _thief? Them's fightin' words!_"

The knight turned his horse and ran off a ways to get ready to charge. Sissy stood her ground by a nearby tree. A knight was supposed to be chivalrous enough not to attack an unarmed woman, but not this man, tearing up the grass with his armored horse as he charged Sissy. The knight tucked his head down and held his lance at the ready, but still neither combatant would move.

Sissy leapt up at the last moment, the lance piercing her skirt and lodging into the tree behind. The skirt ripped, and she was left standing on the lance wearing her tights, the bodice of her dress, and her green sleep shorts. "Ye're gonna owe me for that, you LARPing lunatic!" she cried, as she balanced on the weapon.

Sissy glanced down at herself a moment. "Eh. Now I look like Barney, you numbskull!" she continued. She reached over, slid her fingers into the eyeholes in his helmet, and flipped it backwards over her head into the tree. The knight dropped the lance, but Sissy was ready and on her feet.

The knight jumped off his horse and slashed at her with his sword, but she quickly blocked him using her scarf. The knight was startled, and Sissy took advantage of the fact to take his sword. The knight turned and procured a second one from his steed, a two-handed, long sword. They clashed, and the swords sang as each combatants blocked and attacked.

Seeing as she wasn't going to tire quickly enough, the knight stepped forward onto her toes. She cried out, falling to the ground. Feeling her foot, she guessed she might have bruises resembling the edge of the metal boot. The sword's tip appeared, just inches from her nose.

"You are my property…"

"Hax!"

"The captive of my sword…"

"Haaaaxxxx!"

"Silence! You lost your chance."

Sissy, seething with anger, thought she better talk to whoever was in charge of the LARP charade. "Take me to your king," she demanded. "As you wish," the knight said. He remounted and turned toward her. "Come then, and don't forget your belongings," he said. Sissy glanced back, and, lo and behold, there was Scot's green backpack on the ground.

She slid the straps over her shoulders and scooped up her shawl. The knight pulled his lance free of the tree, and Sissy retrieved her skirt. He trotted away, and she followed, limping slightly from holding her toes off the ground. They walked along silently for some time, through unknown terrain. By and by, they followed a bend in the river, and there appeared a large castle overlooking a sleepy little village in the distance.

"I know that ain't Disney Castle," Sissy said, looking at the knight. "That's King Arthur's castle, in Camelot," the knight explained. "So…Disney's buildin' a new theme park in Georgia?" she asked, confused.

"I still don't know of this Disney and this Georgia you speak of."

They walked along silently for a moment before the knight turned to Sissy. "What is this 'theme park'? And why would this Disney want to build it?" he asked. "Man, you take your RP seriously," Sissy observed.


	3. Part 2

Once in Camelot, Sir Kay the Seneschal…as was the name and title of the knight…introduced Sissy to his page, Clarence. She looked him over and decided his getup wasn't much better than hers. He was wearing ugly, orange tights, a blue silk shirt covered in lace and ruffles, and a plumed, pink cap. As soon a she had a chance, she was going to find the boy something to replace those garish tights.

Clarence reminded Sissy of her younger brother and his friends, and she held this image as they walked along, chatting and joking. At length, he mentioned he was born in the beginning of the year 513. Sissy froze, confused. She tried to speak, but words failed her as she stood open-mouthed, trying to remember an elusive thought. Shutting her mouth, Sissy removed her backpack and handed it to Clarence.

"Prithee, do me a favor and hold this."

Clarence took the backpack, and Sissy started digging through it. She pulled out a small copy of _A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court_ and flipped through the pages. "Oh, are you a priest?" Clarence asked, peeking at the book. Sissy quickly slammed the book shut.

"What? Ye-, wait, priest? No, no, no, I'm…(what's the word?)…scholar! Yeah, I'm…a scholar…can I have a glass of water?"

Somehow Sissy had been set down in Twain's version of King Arthur's court. She followed Clarence in a daze as she struggled to get a hold of herself. Once she had read a philosophy of fiction stating certain characters cannot reach their full potent ional unless something life-changing happened, like…going back through time. She came to as she was called up to stand beside Sir Kay as he related the story of their battle.

He called her a monster, a witch, a succubus. Every new thing he wove into the story started to grate on Sissy's nerves. It was interesting, yes, but it was a lie. When he stated that she had grown wings and started to breath fire, she couldn't take it any more.

"Oi! Ye're so fulla hogwash, it's runnin' out yer ears!"

The whole room turned to look at her. "I'll tell ye what happened," she shouted. She looked around, thinking of a way to explain her thoughts.

"My father…is Lord Pennybaker. I am a scholar. My family…is all scholars. I…and my escort…were readying to leave for a ball when my dear mare…suddenly went berserk…"

Murmurs spread around the room. It was interesting enough.

"I…she…her eyes glowed bright gold…she reared up, and her very hooves caught fire…I tried to grab for her bridle, but she kicked me…then I woke up with Sir Kay standing over me. He called me a thief and ripped my skirt!"

The description of the horse came from World of Warcraft. It was the felhorse mount that warlocks could learn. Sissy climbed on the table.

"I am Cecelia Allison Pennybaker! I was born in the year of our Lord, 1986. I am not certain how I arrived here, and I want to go home!"

"Get down! You're mine!"

"Ye cheated!"

"Execution. Noon of the 21st."

Sissy turned to King Arthur and Merlin. "Tomorrow, at noon, the sun…will go out," she said, before climbing off the table. The room went into an uproar. "Choose already, I want to be taken to my lodgin's. Be they the king's quarters or the dungeon, I care not. I only wish to sleep," she demanded. Sinking to the floor, she put her hands over her face. "And a change of clothes," she added.

When they made their decision, the guards took Sissy down to the dungeon. She lay down on the straw in the dark to try to put her thoughts in order. There was the sound of tiny nails against the stones. She turned toward the noise even though she could not see. There was a faint squeaking.

"Oh, go ahead. Have it. I'm not hungry."

The rat ate the prison food and skipped away. Sissy sighed. She had a habit of talking to any animal she met. Another sound came to her through the dark.

"I dunno, dude…I think everybody's all jealous and %$!, cuz' I'm like the lead singer of the band, dude…"

_Okay, I'm really losin' it. I can hear Eminem._

"Cecelia? Are you hurt?"

"Clarence? Is that you?"

"Yes…why is your bag making noise?"

"Gimmee."

Sissy took the backpack and reached into one of the smaller pockets. There was Scot's cd player. She felt around and managed to find the stop button. "What kind of noise was that?" Clarence asked.

"Uh, rap. It's…music."

"Music from the future? It sounds so strange."

"Hehe. Kid, ye have no idea."

"Cecelia, what did you mean about the sun going out? Are you doing it? Can you stop it?"

"No, an eclipse is as natural as birds flyin' or fish swimmin', just not as common."

"An eclipse?"

"As soon as I get out of here, I will explain many things. Now, take my things and take care of them, alright?"

"I understand."

"And if the music starts playing again, just press the button with the square on it, got it?" she continued, taking his hand and tracing a square in his palm. "Yes, Cecelia," he answered.

"When the eclipse starts, don't be afraid. The sun is just fine, we just can't see it from here for the time being."

"I will do as you say, Cecelia," Clarence said, heading for the door.

"Oh, and by the way, call me 'Sissy'."

Alone, Sissy fell into a troubled sleep, tossing and turning with nightmares. Finally one of the guards caught her by the arm and pulled her roughly to her feet. "The king demands you make it stop!" he roared. "I can't, cuz' I haven't done anything!" she yelled back. He yanked her by the arm through the darkening hallways.

The guard pulled her into the map room. Clarence stood beside the king and Merlin. "I tried to tell them," he said. "So you have really made the sun go out?" the king asked. "Hey, don't blame me for this. I just said it would happen. Let me explain," she said, pulling on the guard's arm.

"Please?"

The guard moved reluctantly into place against the wall. Sissy handed him a nearby candle. "And…here," she continued, grabbing Clarence by the shoulders to line him up with the guard. "And yer majesty, if ye will sit here, please, we're almost ready," she said, patting the rug in front of Clarence. The king glanced at Merlin, Sissy, Clarence, and the guard before sitting down.

"Now, can you see the guard from here?"

The king leaned to the side. "Nope," Sissy said, holding his shoulders. "You'll miss the point if you do that."

The king sat upright. "I can only see the candlelight," he stated. "Yes," Sissy said.

"The guard…and his candle…represent the sun. Clarence, here, represents the moon."

"The moon?"

"Yes, yer majesty. The moon, right now is moving between us and the sun."

"Is there a way to stop it?"

"Stop it? No…but the moon will continue on its merry way until we can see again."

"And this…what did you call it?"

"An eclipse. Only happens ev'ry hundred years or so."

"And it's just the moon's shadow?"

"Uh, yeah, that's one way to put it."

"So it's nothing to fear?"

"Well, it's scary, yeah, but I don't think it ever hurt anybody."

The king walked over to his guard. "Spread the word! Tell my subjects that it is only the shadow of the moon. Tell them do not fear for the sun will be back in the sky soon," he commanded. The guard nodded and left the room. Another guard came and led Sissy, Clarence, Merlin, and the king onto a balcony.

"Have you ever seen an 'eclipse' before, Lady Cecelia?" Merlin asked. "Nah, but I've read about it at school," Sissy said. "How long does it last?" Clarence asked.

"I…don't remember…"

Slowly, finally, the moon slid away from the sun, light blanketing the land. The people blinked at the change and cheered to see the sun again. The king turned to Sissy. "So, you are really from another time?" he asked. "Yes, this is definitely too early for me to be around. Maybe it's reverse…reincarnation or something…I dunno,' she shrugged.

"Lady Cecelia, I want you to stay and use your knowledge of the future to help me and my subjects."

"Okay, until I can find a way home."

As the king spoke to his servants, Sissy turned to Merlin. "So…looks like we're co-workers now…"she said. Merlin stayed silent.

"I have the feelin' ye don't like me."


	4. Part 3

As her first month in Camelot passed, Sissy was busy making things feel more like home. She boiled up a pot of lye soap, much to the chagrin of the other occupants. When she explained using soap can keep people from getting sick, they demanded she make some for them.

She found a blacksmith, and, using one of Scot's textbooks, they made a steel grill so she could barbecue. After hunting trips with the king and his friends, she happily grilled up the meat for everyone present. As unusual as it was, her skill on horseback was greatly admired. She wore a pair of trousers and a doublet, clothes befitting a nobleman.

As she taught Clarence and King Arthur the ways of her time, she also went to town to learn metallurgy and leatherworking. She took magic and alchemy lessons for Merlin. She knew how to swordfight, but she took lessons in fighting from horseback. Life was beginning to feel like World of Warcraft.

One day, King Arthur offered her a title. Sissy was taken aback. She asked to have some time to think. After turning the idea around in her mind, she decided she would like to be called a ranger. Rangers were one with nature. They were like a hunter, a rogue, and a druid, all rolled together as one.

The king approved, and she was henceforth known as Ranger Sissy. As the months passed, she grew used to that life. She almost didn't have time to write anymore, she was so busy.


	5. Book 2, Part 4

"Ranger Sissy! Ranger Sissy!"

Sissy turned, and a commoner came running up the path to the royal stables.

"Ranger Sissy! My horse…my horse…"

The man stopped and panted. "Calm down. What's this about your horse?" she asked.

"My…horse…is….acting strange…he won't let anyone ride him…I need him! I don't want to kill him!"

"I understand. Just calm down."

She whistled, and one of the horses obediently trotted over. "Here we go," Sissy said, lifting the startled man onto the horse's back before climbing on herself. Sissy kicked the horse's sides with the smooth heels of her leather boots, and the horse took off at a gallop.

"Show me the way."

"That way, on the other side of town," he said, pointing. Sissy pulled the reins, and the horse turned. The hooves clattering against the cobblestones startled some nearby chickens, but the horse kept on. They arrived at the man's farm, aways outside town. Sissy tied her horse to the fence. "Where's your horse?" she asked. "Over there," the man pointed to a lone horse inside the fence.

Sissy climbed over and walked slowly toward the horse.

"Has…has he been eatin' well lately?"

"No, not really."

Sissy reached the horse and held out her closed fist. The horse tentatively sniffed her knuckles. He was starting to look thin. "I betchya not feelin' so good, are ye, boy?" she whispered to the horse.

"Open up and tell Sissy what's wrong…"

She hadn't expected it to work; she knew horses after all. The horse opened his mouth, and Sissy spied a rotten molar. No wonder he was acting strange. She turned back toward the man. A group of his friends now stood about, watching.

"I'm gonna need a pair uh pliers to help this fella out!"

The men looked at one another. "A pair of what?" the owner of the horse called back. Sissy came back to the fence. "Hold on, I'll go see the blacksmith about it," she said. A few moments later, she had returned with a pair of clean pliers. The horse met her at the fence.

"Okay, buddy. I need ye to open up so I can get that nasty tooth for ye…"

The horse obediently opened his mouth again. Sissy closed the pliers around the tooth and pulled. After a moment, the tooth popped out. The horse reared and gave a whinny of pain. He leaned over the fence and churred. As the men examined the tooth still held by the pliers, Sissy took out her handkerchief. The horse opened his mouth again, and she cleaned the wound.

"There we go. That's gotta feel a lot better."

The horse nuzzled her. "Silly horses, always looking for treats," she said, pulling an apple out of her pack. The horse chomped happily on it. Her horse whinnied. "Don't worry. I got you one, too," Sissy answered, tossing him an apple.


	6. Part 5

And so the days went, learning different crafts, teaching Clarence to read and write, and doing odd jobs around the kingdom. Sissy was happy, but she wanted to do more. She wanted to adventure. To see places outside of Camelot.

Her wish came in the form of a maiden called Alisande. Alisande claimed that a multitude of virgins had been kidnapped by three ogres and were being kept in their castle. Here was an adventure if there ever was one. Knowing Sissy's longing to go on an adventure, he chose her to accompany Alisande and rescue the women.

Knowing what was coming, Sissy prepared by enlisting the aid of several young men from the village who raised pigs, but she asked that they refer to themselves as servants for Alisande's sake. Sissy also hired a carriage and some servants. Lastly, she asked Merlin for an enchanted map so that they could find their way back easily.

In the morning they set out, Sissy, all clad in leather, and Alisande on the horse, with the carriage following behind. They traveled for several days, stopping to eat and rest. After a time, they came upon the castle of Morgan le Fey. They spoke with the warders, and Sissy and Alisande were admitted. The queen invited them into the throne room.

As the queen spoke, Sissy watched out for the young page. Presently he came along and bowed before the queen. He lost his balance and fell lightly against her leg. Morgan made to stab him, but Sissy grabbed her by the wrist. The queen looked into Sissy's green eyes, and Sissy stared back.

She released Morgan's arm and backed away, dragging the page. "Who do you think you are?" the queen cried.

"I am Ranger Sissy! As you no longer have a use for this page, I will take him as my own!"

Morgan seemed to pale for a moment. She slipped off one of her rings and began playing with it as she stood up. "I understand, Ranger Sissy. You can have him," she said, replacing her ring and taking Sissy by the shoulders. Sissy tried to push her away. Morgan stabbed her with the ring.

"For a price!"

Sissy began to mutter under her breath, trying a spell Merlin had taught her. As Morgan realized something wasn't right, Sissy spoke a little louder. "Stop that!" the queen commanded. Sissy came to the last word.

"Open…"

Everything that could open, opened. Windows, doors, shackles, everything. Sissy grabbed the boy and Alisande and ran outside. As carriage and horses raced from the castle, Sissy felt her arm where she had been stung. She pulled out a tiny pin. Poison? So there was a chance she might never get home. There had always been that chance, but now it was close enough to hurt.

Sissy lifted her head to look about at Alisande and the carriage as they ran along. She was determined to brave the terrors that be to rescue the princess pigs.


	7. Part 6

"Look, there it is."

Alisande pointed through the bushes at the pigsty. "Do mine eyes deceive me? I see no castle yonder," Sissy said. Alisande looked at the pigsty and back at Sissy. "You do not see it?" she asked. "Beseemth to have some sort of illusion over it, I suppose," Sissy said. She turned to the men behind them. They shrugged.

Sissy bought the pigs, and when she called Alisande over, the maiden tried to hug every one of those pigs. Sissy smiled. _A film of this should totally go on Cute Overload_. Sissy, Alisande, and the young men herded the pigs away, in whatever direction Alisande led. With more people, the royal piggies were easier to keep up with.

After several hours, the entourage came to a house. Alisande herded her friends in, and Sissy and the young men followed suit. They stayed the night, and in the morning, Alisande served breakfast. Again Sissy thought of her favorite animal website. Sissy and her entourage set off again.

After some time, they came across a pilgrimage. Sissy followed along, listening to the jokes, stories, and songs, sometimes adding her own. After a few days, the two groups came across a third group. Slaves. Sissy trotted over to the owner.

"How much?"

"Which one?"

"All of them."

"No sale."

Sissy pulled out her sword and hit him with the flat of the blade. He collapsed, unconscious, and Sissy dismounted to take his keys. She shackled him to the line and freed the others. "I suggest you stay with me. You'll be safe," she said. Sissy placed the former slave owner into the carriage with the page and the pig herders.

She turned and realized the whole of the pilgrims were watching her.

"What?"


	8. Book 3, Part 7

Sissy, her entourage, and the pilgrims entered the Valley of Holiness. Upon reaching the monastery, the visitors were told that the fount had stopped flowing. There was a cry of despair. The abbot called Sissy forward as the others were taken to their lodgings. "Please, Daughter, come do thy saving work," he said.

"I'll have to take a look. May I see the fountain?"

The abbot led her to the door. Merlin stood there, chanting himself blue. "Hello, Master Merlin," Sissy greeted him. He kept chanting. "I'm goin' inside to see if there's anything else we can do…" she said, stepping inside. The monks lowered her down as she asked, and she found the large hole in the wall. They pulled her back up, and she stepped back outside.

"Master Merlin, I think ye might need a different spell."

Merlin stopped and looked at her for a moment. "There's a leak, a big hole inside the fountain," Sissy explained. Merlin let that sink in before he started chanting again. There was a rumble, and Sissy ran back into the cave with the monks. The water had filled up to its normal height.

The people and visitors of the Valley were glad to have their water again. In the excitement, Sissy sought out the abbot. He hugged her. "You did it, Daughter," he cried. "No, Father, I merely realized what was wrong. Merlin fixed it, not me," Sissy explained.

"No matter! The fount flows again!"

"Father, I was wondering if we could start up the bath again…"

"What?"

"Ye see, where I come from, it is customary for a priest to baptize people. It's a ritual cleansing of sin."

"A bath?"

"Typically, they still wear clothes, but yeah, a spiritual bath."

"The bath is what stopped the fount to begin with…"

"A bath never hurt anyone. Why wouldn't God want you to be clean?"

"You are right. We need someone to rebuild the bath right away!"

(The page appears to have been torn out of the book.)


	9. Remnant of Part 8

The abbot looked over the work. "I did say I would take the first bath," he said. Everyone left him alone. He returned some time later fresh and clean.

(This page, too, appears to be torn.)


	10. Part 9

Sissy touched her arm gently. The wound Morgan had given her was swelling. Either it was some slow-acting poison or something else entirely. She walked along to corridor toward the tea room. Every day, she and King Arthur met for tea, and she would tell him another story about life in her time.

As she sat down across from the king, she was at a lost at what to talk about. She took a sip of tea.

"Have…I ever told you about the stories we have about you?"

"No, you have not, Ranger."

"Oh, they're awesome, like the sword in the stone, Excalibur, how your cousin is an ogre."

The king's eyes widened.

"It was a spell. Although when the spell was broken, she remained an ogre."

"Why?

"It was one of those true love spells."

"She fell in love with an ogre?

"He was really sweet. He just wanted to be left alone, really."

The king nodded and sipped his tea, but ht didn't truly understand. "There are darker parts to the legends, too," Sissy continued.

"Morgan le Fey…Guinevere…"

"Guinevere?"

"Yes, according to the legends, she--", Sissy stopped short. "What about her?" the king asked.

"Well, I dunno…legends don't get everything right, you know…"

"I want to know."

"The story is…"


	11. Part 10

No, I cannot bear to tell anymore. I tried to stop him. I did. I don't know why I brought it up. How was I suppose to know it was true? I'm sorry. My arm hurts so much now…

* * *

Sissy has fallen ill, and I, Clarence, am writing in her place. King Arthur tried to purify the queen by burning her. Lancelot escaped with her, though.

Sissy talked with Merlin. He cast a spell over her so that she may sleep until she is awoken by true love's kiss. This way she can return to her own time and get help for her wounds. Alisande, Artie, the little page Sissy rescued, and I have pledged that we and our descendants will watch over her and her belongings until she can return home.


	12. The End?

Stacey closed the last book and set it on the coffee table. "Dude," Henry said, eyeing the books. "Totally," Stacey agreed. Headlights flashed across the house.

"Mom and Dad!"

The siblings hurried to put the papers back in the box and take it upstairs. They turned, and there was their mother, blocking the stairs.

"Uh, hi, Mom. What is this doing in Uncle Rodney's attic?"

"Because he's a descendant of Clarence."


End file.
